Charming Celle: half-timbered town in Northern Germany

Latest update: 4 July 2024

Celle has one of the largest half-timbered ensembles in Europe – that is, a lot of beautiful half-timbered houses in just a few square meters. That is also the biggest attraction of the town. But there is more to explore. Will you join me?

The 9 cities of Lower Saxony

Celle is in Northern Germany. The nearest major city is Hannover. It is one of nine cities in Lower Saxony. Braunschweig, Celle, Einbeck, Göttingen, Goslar, Hameln, Hannover, Hildesheim and Wolfenbüttel are the 9 Städte that give you a good impression of what Lower Saxony has to offer.

Celle is the first city in Northern Germany to be certified as a sustainable destination. This is due to cultural preservation, local gastronomy, protection of the landscape, and more. In this blog, I mainly focus on the city center of Celle, but you can also go hiking on the heath or take a canoe trip.

A visit to Celle

You can easily visit Celle in a day. It’s only tiny. The town once started around the castle, with only two streets leading to it. Over the years, more and more houses have been built. The center was not bombed during the Second World War, so everything is as it once was. Well restored, of course. You will find the most important things to do in the town within a short distance of each other.

Go on a walking tour

You can easily discover Celle on foot in about an hour, but then you miss the fun facts and interesting stories. That’s why I’m glad I’m exploring the town with a guide. The tourism office organizes guided tours of the city and also with a Bauhaus theme. Check the site for current options and tickets.

Castle of Celle

The castle of Celle (Schloss Celle) is almost impossible to miss. Celle started with this lock, and the town has spread since then. There is a castle garden where you can walk around, and if you want, you can also view the castle from the inside. Of course, you have to buy a ticket for that. It allows you access to the royal apartments. There are also tours through the castle, where a guide explains the various rooms and objects. You only pay one euro more than the regular entrance fee, so that sounds like a good deal. View the current times here.

There is a tiny gallery in Celle Castle that you can visit for free. It has a limited number of works of art. There is also the Schlosstheater, an ancient theater hall. Check the website to see if anything is on the schedule for you.

Google Maps location

24-hour Museum

Celle is home to the world’s first 24-hour museum, opposite the castle. It’s a bit of false advertising. Because the museum does close, you can only watch a light show on the building in the evening and at night. During the day, you can view Robert Simon’s art collection. “The MoMa of Celle!” explains my city guide.

Google Maps location

Half-timbered houses

What really makes Celle worth a visit are the centuries-old half-timbered houses. In the Middle Ages, people made these houses from hay, mud, and wood. The hay and mud have now often been replaced by stone, but you can still see the beautiful wooden beams everywhere.

And you don’t have to put in much effort, because in the center of Celle, there are only half-timbered houses. The town has about five hundred. Together with the French city of Troyes, Celle has the highest density of half-timbered houses. But the two cities are different, according to my guide. “In Troyes, the half-timbered houses are simpler. No decoration or dates on the facades.” And the half-timbered houses of Celle certainly have that.

The half-timbered houses were only given a lick of paint about 150 years ago. Until then, the decorations were there but less visible. So now Celle is a really colorful town. For example, on some houses, you see drawings that reveal who the original occupant was, like a butcher. The decorations also reveal the period in which the house was initially built. But you have to have a trained eye for that.

Market in Celle

Celle attracts many tourists yearly, and it can get quite busy, especially on sunny market days. There is a weekly market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The locals do their shopping here, but the market is also worth visiting for transient visitors. You can buy local delicacies for home, such as a jar of honey or asparagus in season.

Where the market is now, in front of the church, used to be the place for jousting – you know, with knights on horseback. This road is also called Stechbahn (meaning something like stitch track), and you will find a sculpture with lances.

Google Maps location

Grab a drink on Brandplatz

Brandplatz is a pleasant square full of outdoor cafes. On weekends, there is an open stage with live music. It feels more youthful here than in the rest of the town. Because no university exists in Celle, young people often move to the larger cities.

There used to be 29 half-timbered houses on the site of Brandplatz. However, these burned down because a girl played with a match. The houses were made of wood, hay, and mud, so they caught fire fast. Such a shame. But now you also understand the name Brandplatz (fire square).

Google Maps location

Local shopping tips in Celle

I’m actually not much of a shopper. I don’t buy a lot of clothes, and what I do buy, I buy online. But I always enjoy visiting local shops, and you certainly have plenty of them on the side street of Celle. Marchelle (Google Maps location) is a delicatessen shop where you can also eat something or drink a glass of wine. Huths’s Kaffee (Google Maps location) has its own coffee roasting facility at the back, so you can buy coffee and other tasty things. Also, visit Zapfhahn (Google Maps location), where you can buy wines, liqueurs, and more and taste them in the courtyard.

Taste it if you dare: Alter Provisor

The Alter Provisor is a local herbal liqueur with a high alcohol percentage of 50%! Hello. The current owner of the gift shop of the same name received the secret recipe from the pharmacist she used to work for. She thought it would be a shame that it would go to waste and now makes the liqueur herself in a small kitchen. In addition to the Alter Provisor liqueur, you can buy soap, candles, home accessories, and more in the store.

Google Maps location

Have a drink in Celle

There are plenty of cafes on the Brandtplatz and Großer Plan squares. But it is also fun to delve a little deeper into Celle and discover the courtyard gardens. Celle’s creative minds like to enjoy a glass of wine at the Schlosskönig wine bar (Google Maps location), and at Coffee Shop Celle (Google Maps location), you can enjoy a huge iced coffee or an equally large piece of cake at the back of the courtyard.

Visit Hannover invited me to Celle. They have given me complete editorial freedom.